“Believe passionately in what you do, and never knowingly compromise your standards and values. Act like a true professional, aiming for true excellence, and the money will follow.”
Source
- David Maister (1947- ), business management consultant. The Advice Business: Essential Tools and Models for Management Consulting, Chapter 23. (via geosak)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
How we saved money this week.
As part of our new plan to really save money and move our financial future forward this year we have been looking at different things in our lives that we can cut back on or cut out to save us money. One of the obvious is our grocery bill. Which I am currently in the process of tackling still. Its kind of a monster lol. Since its just the two of us for now. We dont have any kids yet. Its a great time for us to learn to be more responsible with money. However, because we only have the two of us it was also very easy to learn how to spend more than we needed to. We have always eaten out whenever we want and done other things with our free time that we probably would not have done if we had kids.
So while still in the process of cutting back on what we spend on household items and groceries we looked into other things in our life we could save on. We were both playing an online game for our sort of "hobby" we did it just in our free time on weekends and stuff like that. But it was costing us $30 dollars a month to play and we were paying more for our higher internet speed because it was an online game.
This week we cancelled the game subscription so that is an automatic thirty dollars back in our pocket we also switched away from cable internet to another provider which slashed our bill by $20 a month. We then traded in about $100 worth of games and movies and bought a Ps3. Some people probably think that was a waste of money but for us it wasn't its what we do in our down time when we want to. We dont pay for cable TV so this is a one time fee for us to buy the console and we only buy used games and then we trade in when we want a different one. For us it was worth spending the money once versus the $50 a month we were spending on something that we weren't really even using anymore.
We could even pick up netflix streaming for $8 every month and still come out ahead of where we were. With no concern of late fees or anything like that. I am so excited about this decision, ready to be rid of some excess spending and ready to start tackling more things :))
So while still in the process of cutting back on what we spend on household items and groceries we looked into other things in our life we could save on. We were both playing an online game for our sort of "hobby" we did it just in our free time on weekends and stuff like that. But it was costing us $30 dollars a month to play and we were paying more for our higher internet speed because it was an online game.
This week we cancelled the game subscription so that is an automatic thirty dollars back in our pocket we also switched away from cable internet to another provider which slashed our bill by $20 a month. We then traded in about $100 worth of games and movies and bought a Ps3. Some people probably think that was a waste of money but for us it wasn't its what we do in our down time when we want to. We dont pay for cable TV so this is a one time fee for us to buy the console and we only buy used games and then we trade in when we want a different one. For us it was worth spending the money once versus the $50 a month we were spending on something that we weren't really even using anymore.
We could even pick up netflix streaming for $8 every month and still come out ahead of where we were. With no concern of late fees or anything like that. I am so excited about this decision, ready to be rid of some excess spending and ready to start tackling more things :))
Monday, March 28, 2011
Psalm 6:6
I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears.
Refocused and staying.
I am realizing today and this week how very hard it can be for people to stay dedicated to things. My fiance (Jay) and I were so ready to get on track with saving money and we still are but we let ourselves get too comfortable sometimes.
Life gets busy and we find excuses to break our pact about not eating out. So we eat out and then the next night the pact has already been broken so what does it matter at that point? Well it does matter because even if life gets in the way one night and you spend money you weren't going to spend or you eat something that isn't on your diet or fall into any old habit that you are trying to break it doesn't mean that you have ruined it for the whole month. Slipping up one day on a monthly/weekly plan does not excuse you making the same mistake tomorrow or the next day. I realized how I am so guilty of doing this.
Last week I didnt do any of the stuff I should have. I did not blog. I did not do any extra money saving or earning that I had planned. I didn't pick up any extra hours at my job. So this week I am starting over I almost let myself out of it this week too but I am not going to. Its not only my fiances responsibilty to work extra hours. If I want to secure our future then I need to take an active role in doing so.
Life gets busy and we find excuses to break our pact about not eating out. So we eat out and then the next night the pact has already been broken so what does it matter at that point? Well it does matter because even if life gets in the way one night and you spend money you weren't going to spend or you eat something that isn't on your diet or fall into any old habit that you are trying to break it doesn't mean that you have ruined it for the whole month. Slipping up one day on a monthly/weekly plan does not excuse you making the same mistake tomorrow or the next day. I realized how I am so guilty of doing this.
Last week I didnt do any of the stuff I should have. I did not blog. I did not do any extra money saving or earning that I had planned. I didn't pick up any extra hours at my job. So this week I am starting over I almost let myself out of it this week too but I am not going to. Its not only my fiances responsibilty to work extra hours. If I want to secure our future then I need to take an active role in doing so.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Frugality Is Free: The Gift Card Giveaway Linky at Frugality Is Free *NEW Giveaway Linky Up
Frugality Is Free: The Gift Card Giveaway Linky at Frugality Is Free *NEW Giveaway Linky Up
If you are interested in spreading the word about your gift card giveaway or just want to take part. Frugality is Free just started this and it is very awesome. Check it.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Soap Box moment.
"They might be too afraid of debt.
The authors' research suggests that GenY is so frugal that they might take their fear of debt too far, and avoid even good investments such as college, home purchases, and small business start-up costs. "Many young people, especially those from lesser means, see the price tag [of college tuition] and think, 'Oh my god, I can't possibly take that on.' They could be shortchanging themselves,' says Ray, since college is an investment that pays off."
I stumbled upon this article the other day, and today was thinking of it again. The whole article frustrates me. It talks about Generation Y's spending habits and how they are afraid of debt, because of the economy they are becoming adults in. I agree that a lot of this generation is going to be deeply scarred by the economic situation we are in. I do not agree however that they are too frugal. Seriously. I think its a blessing that this economy is waking up a generation of people who hopefully will not all be consumed by the debt monstrosity that was before them. Everywhere you go credit is still being thrown into our faces. It is amazing to hear people saying no. Think of where we might be today if we had said no a long time ago. Maybe businesses will suffer slightly because they will no longer be making loads of money off the interest they charge their customers. But maybe families will be more stable because they instead are keeping their own money and saving it or investing it in their future rather than throwing it away to a company who will not be there when/if the economy falls again. I think being too frugal is an invalid phrase. If you are taking care of your bills and your household and you are not in a ton of debt then you are not being too frugal, you are just not repeating the mistakes that put us in this mess in the first place. So I say Gen Y continue on this path and I hope it leads too much more personal success and happiness.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Easy meatloaf recipe.
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs(or oatmeal)
(dash or two) Worchestire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 cup milk
Topping
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp mustard ( i added an extra 1 tbsp roughly of mustard to mine)
2 tbsp brown sugar
Dash worchestire sauce (optional)
1 tsp honey (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion in butter until soft. Mix beef, egg, bread crumbs, milk, sauce, salt & pepper. Place in greased 5x9 or other small loaf pan. Mix topping ingredients and pour on top of meatloaf. Bake approx. 1 hour at 350.
This recipe turned out really yummy. The best thing about it is you can do whatever you want with it and it still tastes good. Sometimes I don't have honey so I don't bother putting it in. Or I use it and not brown sugar. Adding another 1/2 lb of meat sometimes makes the texture a little nicer depending on the amount of bread crumbs you use. If you prefer it rather meaty you can add more beef or just cut down on the bread crumbs. At our house I tend to divide our meat into 1lb servings so when I thaw them out its just easier for me to only make it with 1lb at a time. You can pretty much throw anything in this and it will turn out just fine. Also the prep time for this is seriously 10-15 min max. It is super fast. At our house this usually give us plenty of left overs for the next night.
I have been looking for more stuff to make at home and this was an excellent find I found a recipe and then made it the way I wanted to lol. I tend to do that. I don't enjoy following recipes perfectly. Where is the fun in that? Always happy for new suggestions so drop by with any ideas.
xoxo
1 egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs(or oatmeal)
(dash or two) Worchestire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 cup milk
Topping
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp mustard ( i added an extra 1 tbsp roughly of mustard to mine)
2 tbsp brown sugar
Dash worchestire sauce (optional)
1 tsp honey (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion in butter until soft. Mix beef, egg, bread crumbs, milk, sauce, salt & pepper. Place in greased 5x9 or other small loaf pan. Mix topping ingredients and pour on top of meatloaf. Bake approx. 1 hour at 350.
This recipe turned out really yummy. The best thing about it is you can do whatever you want with it and it still tastes good. Sometimes I don't have honey so I don't bother putting it in. Or I use it and not brown sugar. Adding another 1/2 lb of meat sometimes makes the texture a little nicer depending on the amount of bread crumbs you use. If you prefer it rather meaty you can add more beef or just cut down on the bread crumbs. At our house I tend to divide our meat into 1lb servings so when I thaw them out its just easier for me to only make it with 1lb at a time. You can pretty much throw anything in this and it will turn out just fine. Also the prep time for this is seriously 10-15 min max. It is super fast. At our house this usually give us plenty of left overs for the next night.
I have been looking for more stuff to make at home and this was an excellent find I found a recipe and then made it the way I wanted to lol. I tend to do that. I don't enjoy following recipes perfectly. Where is the fun in that? Always happy for new suggestions so drop by with any ideas.
xoxo
Saturday, March 12, 2011
INFO OVERLOAD
Today I have signed up for Swagbucks and Mypoints. Hopefully I can earn some points for things like gift cards. I love gift cards because not only do they make great gifts (especially if you get them at a discounted rate) but you can also use them on your own purchases. Giftcardgranny is another website that you can purchase gift cards for a cheaper rate. Sometimes the deals are great sometimes they aren't.
After going through some of the blogs I have been reading, I feel a little overwhelmed. But I am trying to remember that the main thing is I get the info and get started I don't have to be an expert at this immediately. It is just hard when you see so many ideas and you want to know how to do all of them and be successful. Patience is not an easy thing to come by at times. My eyes are officially tired from reading today lol.
After going through some of the blogs I have been reading, I feel a little overwhelmed. But I am trying to remember that the main thing is I get the info and get started I don't have to be an expert at this immediately. It is just hard when you see so many ideas and you want to know how to do all of them and be successful. Patience is not an easy thing to come by at times. My eyes are officially tired from reading today lol.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Today.
So today, off the topic of saving money a little. Today was a trying day at my job. We hired someone new and I work with a really small group of people.Which can make it hard to find a great balance between everyone, and if the balance isn't there it is easy to notice. This person and I probably won't be best friends by any stretch of the term. I can deal with new people it doesn't really bother me. In my last job I worked with people coming and going on a much larger scale. I just am realizing that this job is not where my heart is.
Right now I am working in a bank which is a blessing because I wanted out of my last job really bad. In my last job I was so done with it. I had worked for the same company for five years and all forward progress in my career had come to a halt. Partly because of how the company had shifted. More so because of how our particular store was being ran and also because I had grown so tired of doing a job that I was not being compensated fairly for. So I prayed for a new job and I sought a new job and I was blessed with one. I am incredibly thankful for that, but I know in my heart that I want to work with kids. I want to do a complete career shift which is going to be hard. Most of my training is in business not in children lol. I do however have some experience dealing with children. I have worked with them in the recent past and when I was younger. I don't want to be a teacher but I would love to work in or own a daycare. Or something along those lines.
I want a total change all at the same time we are embarking on this new financial journey. This could be the best or worst timing I guess. I am willing to stick out my job for as long as I need to it was put into my life when I desperately needed it so I am not going to just throw it away. I am dedicated to using it for the purpose it was given to me for. I am just not sure I know what that is yet. Whew ok I think I am done with my whine fest for the day.
Right now I am working in a bank which is a blessing because I wanted out of my last job really bad. In my last job I was so done with it. I had worked for the same company for five years and all forward progress in my career had come to a halt. Partly because of how the company had shifted. More so because of how our particular store was being ran and also because I had grown so tired of doing a job that I was not being compensated fairly for. So I prayed for a new job and I sought a new job and I was blessed with one. I am incredibly thankful for that, but I know in my heart that I want to work with kids. I want to do a complete career shift which is going to be hard. Most of my training is in business not in children lol. I do however have some experience dealing with children. I have worked with them in the recent past and when I was younger. I don't want to be a teacher but I would love to work in or own a daycare. Or something along those lines.
I want a total change all at the same time we are embarking on this new financial journey. This could be the best or worst timing I guess. I am willing to stick out my job for as long as I need to it was put into my life when I desperately needed it so I am not going to just throw it away. I am dedicated to using it for the purpose it was given to me for. I am just not sure I know what that is yet. Whew ok I think I am done with my whine fest for the day.
Cool way to entertain on a budget
So today I found some information about hosting free house parties. You basically sign up for them and if you get picked you get sent the house party kit and you can entertain for free using the stuff they send you. There are quite a few different ones. I think its a pretty cool idea if you like to have people over for good food and you want to stay on budget. I signed up for a couple today so we will see if I get picked. I signed up for this one today sounds like a good time.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Our Journey to saving
So I have decided to start a blog, to help keep track of our savings journey. My fiance, Jason, and I have decided to embark on a new path this year. We want to save money and we want to see where it takes us. Its an exciting thing to dedicate ourselves to. It is also a scary commitment for us.
We are not married and we Don't have kids. We are a young couple starting out without much debt. We really want to see if we can truly change our family tree by going on this path that neither of our families really have done up until now. Last year my dad introduced me to Dave Ramsey. He gave me his book and I put off reading it because at the time we were really struggling. We both had jobs that didn't pay very well and it was a tough time. We had dealt with Jason being out of work for a bit. We had no savings and we were just hoping to make it at the end of each week. Being in our early twenties it was pretty scary We knew things would be hard but had no idea it would be like that. We thought we were just going to be barely making it forever.
This year God has truly blessed us with better jobs and a chance to start taking responsibility with our money. So that is what we are going to do. We have not only read "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey but we also saw him live in Kansas City, MO this last weekend and it was truly inspiring.
This month we are starting our $1000 step one. So by the beginning of April that is our goal. We are about halfway there. We are also not eating out this month at all. I am striving to cut our grocery budget because it is one of our larger expenses. I have found some great tips from other blogs. Hopefully this week I can share some of them. This Blog linked below is one of the best around that I have found so far. She has so many wonderful ideas and amazing tips. http://moneysavingmom.com/
We are not married and we Don't have kids. We are a young couple starting out without much debt. We really want to see if we can truly change our family tree by going on this path that neither of our families really have done up until now. Last year my dad introduced me to Dave Ramsey. He gave me his book and I put off reading it because at the time we were really struggling. We both had jobs that didn't pay very well and it was a tough time. We had dealt with Jason being out of work for a bit. We had no savings and we were just hoping to make it at the end of each week. Being in our early twenties it was pretty scary We knew things would be hard but had no idea it would be like that. We thought we were just going to be barely making it forever.
This year God has truly blessed us with better jobs and a chance to start taking responsibility with our money. So that is what we are going to do. We have not only read "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey but we also saw him live in Kansas City, MO this last weekend and it was truly inspiring.
This month we are starting our $1000 step one. So by the beginning of April that is our goal. We are about halfway there. We are also not eating out this month at all. I am striving to cut our grocery budget because it is one of our larger expenses. I have found some great tips from other blogs. Hopefully this week I can share some of them. This Blog linked below is one of the best around that I have found so far. She has so many wonderful ideas and amazing tips. http://moneysavingmom.com/
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